In a London Daily News poll incumbent Mayor of London Boris Johnson is a strong favourites to win a second term with 46% of the votes, against 25% for Ken Livingtone, 14% for Alan Johnston and 12% for Oona King.
Despite the economic downturn Mayor Johnson is still a popular figure amongst Londoners, with many hinting that they would prefer him to be Prime Minister than David Cameron.
Mayor Johnson today announced the charity set up to fight child poverty in the capital has secured £7 million of funding commitments in its first year. Today the Mayor’s Fund for London published its first annual report (for 2009) and announced a host of new flagship projects aimed at improving the lives of some of the capital’s 630,000 disadvantaged young people.
After working extensively across Hackney, Islington, Tower Hamlets and the City of London, the charity has successfully secured funding from a wide range of corporate sponsors including Barclays, The Private Equity Foundation and The Big Lottery Fund. In the next three years the fund expects to spend £16m on projects, of which £7 million is already in place.
At the launch the Mayor joined Sir Trevor Chinn, Chair of the Mayor’s Fund for London, and Chris Robinson, Chief Executive.
The Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'In a short space of time the Mayor’s Fund has made great gains in reaching some of the thousands of young people being brought up in poverty stricken families. I believe every child in our city deserves the educational opportunities and support to help them succeed in life. The charity is nurturing young people through mentoring, and skills training, and despite the challenging financial climate, has triumphantly secured £7 million in funding commitments. I want to thank all the investors and urge the corporate world to continue to get on board with their invaluable support. The Fund is set to expand its hard work to other parts of London shortly, and I look forward to the day when every child in need can benefit from its help.'
In 2012 who will you be voting for to be Mayor of London?
Boris Johnson : 46.79% (292) Ken Livingstone : 25.48% (159) Alan Johnston : 14.90% (93) Oona King : 12.82% (80)
